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M. B. MoYEn. -CONNEOTOR FOR-OVERHEAD TRACKS. lu'mlcmouV FILED oms,'1911.' RENEW-:n ocr. u. mp.

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A CONNECTOR FOR OVERHEAD TRACKS. APPLlcATloN man ome. 1917. nsNEwEn ocr.14. me.

1,304,354. Patented May 2o, 1919.

2' sums-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

MALCOLM B. MOYER, 0F MONTEVIDEO,j MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO MOYER MANUFAC-TURING COMPANY, OF MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

CONNECTOR FOR OVERHEAD TRACKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lMay 20, 1919.

Application filed December 6, 1917, Serial No. 205,793. 'Renewed October14, 1918. Serial No. 258,106.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MALCOLM B. MoYER,

a citizen of the United States, residing atV Montevideo, in the countyof Chippewa and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Connectors for Overhead Tracks; and I do .declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and eXactrdescription of the invention,such as will enalble others skilled in the art to Ywhich it appertainsto make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in overhead tracks such as thoseused for litter carriers, in which it is necessary to operativelyconnect the rigid track in the barn or other building with the cabletrack which leads from the building. I am aware that numerous connectingdevices have heretofore been devised for such purposes, but they haveall possessed certain disadvantages.

First, most of the connectors place the majority' of the pull or strainfrom the cables aipon the fixed track which is eX tremely undesirable.One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a connector inwhich the pull of the cable track is resisted by means other than therigid track.

Second, it has been found that the pull of the cable track is notequalized on both sides of the usual connector, so that the latter isoften so twisted as t0 form a highly unde` sirable kink in the track. Afurther object of my invention is to overcome any such occurrences asthis by substantially equalizing the strain upon opposite sides of theconnector or. anchor plate by which the inner end of the cable track issecured.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention resides in thenovel fea# tures of construction and unique combinations of parts to behereinafter fully' described and claimed, the descriptive matter beingsupplemented bythe accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification and in which Figure 1 Ais a vertical section of a portion0f a building showing the application of my invention in Iconnecting thecable and rigid tracks;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of Fig. 1 on the Vplane of the line 2-2thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectlon on the plane indicated by theline 3 3 cf Fig J 4 is an edge view of the anchor plate; Fig. 5 is anend elevation thereof;

- Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the anchor plate;

Fig. 7 is a detail transverse section on the plane of the line 7-`7 ofFig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating double instead ofsingle tracks connected by the device. In the drawings above brieflydescribed, a building B is shown having a doorway D, an upper floor F,and joist J supporting said floor. Within the building B is a rigidlitter carrier track R, while a cable track C leads from the building-to any required point. Both tracks may be of single form as illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2 or of double form as depicted in Fig. 8, but the actionof the improved connector is the same in both cases. This connector isdetailed in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and is constructed as follows Ahorizontal anchor plate 1 of substantially rectangular shape is providedon its upper side with a pair of vertically extend-- ing flanges 2 bymeans of which it may be vided with suitable sup-ports 5 for the liXedtrack R, these supports being preferably of the L shape illustrated moreparticularly in Figs. 5 and 7. An additional lug 6 depends from theplate 1 midway between the lugs 3 and is provided with a cable receivinggroove 7 which, is located at right angles to the grooves 4. The lower'side yof plate 1 will also, in most cases, be provided with alongitudinal reinforcing rib` 8, this rib and all other parts of theplate being cast in a single piece and requiring no machining whatever.

A suitable hanger 9 depends from certain of the joists J and is securedbetween the iianges 2 by bolts or the like 10. This hanger may be bracedin the direction of pull of the cable track C by a Vcable 11, one ormore rigid brace bars 12, or both, the latter' thereof are preferablyinterposed between the hanger 9 and the flanges 2 and secured in placeby the bolts 10, whereas the upper end of said brace bars may well bearagainst the side of the building, or against a suitable plate 13provided for strengthening purposes. The lower end of the cable. 11 islooped around the depending lug 6, whereas the upper end of said cableis anchored to one of the joists J by a suitable bolt 1J.- which may betightened to obtain the required results.

When the cable track C is of the single form illustrated in Figs. l and2, the outer end of said track will be suitably anchored to a post orthe like P. The inner portion of the cable, however, is passeddownwardly over one of the lugs 3, then transversely beneath the plate land its lug 6, then upwardly over the other lug 3 and finally anchoredto a. bolt or the like l5, after first extending in substantially thesame direction as the main reach or stretch of the track. By thisarrangement, as will be clear from Figs. l and 2, any twisting strainexerted on the connector by the main stretch of the track, will beresisted by the end of said track which is anchored to the bolt l5 andthus the joint between the cable track and the rigid track will not beaffected.

1When the device is used in buildings in which the rigid track R is ofdouble form as indicated in Fig. 8, the cable track C will not beanchored to the bolt l5 as above described, but after passage around the.im-

.proved connector in the manner above set forth, the two ends of saidcable track will extend from the building as shown.

The rigid track R may well be secured to the supports or seats 5 in anypreferred manner, but for illustrative purposes I have shown J bolts 16for this purpose (see more particularly Fig. 7). I am not limited tothis manner of connecting the rigid tracks to the device and in factthere `need be no positive connection between the connector and thesetracks, since none of the pull of the cable tracks C is exerted upon therigid track.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,it will be obvious that although my invention is of extremely simple andinexpensive nature, it will be highly efiicient and durable. Par,-ticular emphasis is laid upon the fact that the improved arrangement ofparts does not place any strain from the cable track upon the rigidtrack. Also, the balanced strain on both ends of the improved anchor orconnecting member is of great importance since the pull of the cabletrack cannot possibly shift the'connector so as to disaline the twotracks connected thereby. I also attach great importance to the factthat the entire connector is formed of a single casting and needs nomachining whatever, the several necessary openings being formed duringthe casting operation, so that even drilling is obviated.

Since probably the best results are ob-. tained from the severalspecific details shown and described, these details are by preferenceemployed, but I wish it understood that within the scope of theinvention as claimed, numerous minor changes may well be made.

I claim l. A cab-le and rigid track connector comprising a horizontalplate and means for anchoring the same, a pair of lugs rising fromopposite edges of said plate and each having a ca'ble receiving groovein its upper end, the grooves of said lugs being parallel, a third lugdepending from said plate between said pair of lugs, said third lughaving a cable receiving groove in its lower end extending at rightangles to the aforesaid grooves, the cable track being adapted to passover said pair of lugs and under said third lug, and means for holdingthe rigid track in operative relation with said cable track.

2. A cable and rigid track connector comprising a horizontal plate andmeans for anchoring the same, a pair of lugs rising from opposite edgesof said plate and each having a cable receiving groove in its upper end,the grooves of said lugs being parallel, a third lug depending from saidplate between said pair of lugs, said third lug having a cable receivinggroove in its lower end extending at right angles to the aforesaid pairof lugs and under said third lug, and a. pair of seats for the xedtrack, said seats `being formed on said plate in line with said pair oflugs. Y

3. A cable and rigid track connector comprising a horizontal plateelongated transversely of the tracks, a pair of vertical flanges castintegrally with and rising from said plate for anchoring the latter, apair of lugs formed integrally with and rising from the opposite ends ofsaid plate, each of said lugs having la cable receiving groove in itsupper end, said grooves formed in the upper ends of said lugs, saidgrooves being parallel and extending in the direction of the tracks, athird lug depending from said plate midway between said pair of lugs,said third lug having a cable receiving groove in its lower endextending at right angles to the aforesaid grooves the cable track beingadapted to pass over said pair of lugs and under said third lug, and apair of seats for the fixed track, said seats being formed on said platein line with said pair of lugs. Y

4. In a cable and rigid track connector, the combination with a'ca'bletrack, a rigid track alined therewith and an overhead support; of ahanger depending from said support and braced thereto in the line ofpull of the cable track, an anchor member carried by the lower end ofsaid hanger and extending laterally in opposite directions therefrom,cable seats on the upper side of the laterally extending portions ofsaid anchor member, and additional cable seat on the lower side of saidanchior member, said cable track extending downwardly over one of saidfirst named seats, under said additional seat, and upwardly over theother of said first named seats, both ends of said cable track extendingin substantially the same direction and being anchored, and

MALCOLM B. MOYER.

Witnesses W. T. OLIVER,

NELLE M. MoRTENsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve centl each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patenti, Wallington, D. 0.

